Dental cleaner



Nov. 27, 1956 M. E. FLEMING 2,771,.889

DENTAL CLEANER Filed Sept. 28, 1953 INVENTOR w- Mm BY W ATTORNEY United States Patent DENTAL CLEANER Margaret E. Fleming, Niagara Falls, N. Y., assignor to John S. Fleming, Niagara Falls, N. Y.

Application September 28, 1953, Serial No. 382,594

6 Claims. (Cl. 132-89) The invention relates to dental cleaners for dislodging food particles from between adjacent teeth, this application being related to the application Serial Number 382,366, filed September 25, 1953, entitled the same as this application. Known dental cleaners comprise tooth picks of various kinds, dental floss, and dental ribbons, all of which tend to injure, cut or shove back the gums for lack of having a soft self-cushioned edge.

An object of the invention is to provide a dental cleaner of quadralateral, elliptical or other suitable pattern comprising a strip of flexible paper of such pattern having a peripheral tongue which may extend entirely around the same and of the same breadth throughout its length, said tongue having a soft self-cushioned edge beveled upon one side thereof resulting from tearing said strip from and along a weakened tear line of a sheet of said paper, said tongue being movable between adjacent teeth with its soft edge pressed vertically against the gums. Another object is to provide such a dental cleaner, in which said strip designated as a body strip is provided with means for stiffening said tongue against buckling during its use consisting of a superposed strip of stiffening material of the same pattern as that of and smaller than said first named body strip, located immediately back of, parallel to and defining said tongue, said superposed strip being in flat contact with and adhesively secured to said first named body strip. Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter or will be obvious.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of the dental cleaner of quadralateral pattern; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same; Figure 3 is an edge view of the same; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a modification; Figure 5 is a plan view of the dental cleaner of elliptical pattern; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the dental cleaner of quadralateral pattern, showing a modification; Figure 7 is a plan view of the blank for making the same; Figure 8 is an edge view of the same on an enlarged scale; Figure 9 is a plan view of a fragment of said paper, showing on a much enlarged scale the irregularly outlined soft edge, and Figure 10 is a section on the line 1010, Figure 9.

In the drawings, Figures 1-4 inclusive, 1 designates the dental cleaner of quadralateral pattern, comprising a quadralateral strip of thin flexible sized calendered paper having a peripheral ribbon form tongue 2 extending entirely around the same and of the same breadth throughout its length, said tongue having a soft self-cushioned edge 3 beveled at 3" upon one side thereof resulting from tearing said strip from and along a weakened tear line of a sheet of said paper, said quadralateral strip having longitudinal and transverse edges each of which is constituted by said soft edge and which intersect in points 4", said tongue being movable between adjacent teeth with its soft edge pressed vertically against the gums, said soft edge having a brushing action during such movement.

Said quadralateral strip designated as a body strip is provided with means for stiffening said tongue against buckling during its use, consisting of a superposed quadice ralateral strip 4 of stifiening material located immediately back of, parallel to and defining said tongue 2, said superposed strip being located in fiat contact with and adhesively secured to said first named body strip. In the modification of Figure 4, a second strip 4' of stiffening material is located on the other side of said quadralateral strip.

In Figure 5 the dental cleaner is shown as of elliptical pattern, the superposed strip 4 being also of elliptical pattern, the reference characters being the same as used in Figs. 1 to 4.

The paper is thin to enable said tongue to be movable between adjacent teeth, it is flexible to enable said tongue to be flexed during such movement, it is sized to resist penetration of moisture and it is calendered by calender rollers to make it smooth and compact, increase its tensile strength and provide an adequate soft edge 2. The paper should not be so thin as to provide an inadequate soft edge 2. The soft edge 2 in addition to being selfcushioned has a brushing action during its movement between adjacent teeth.

The right is reserved to modifications coming within the scope of the claims, to equivalents of said paper, and to any other uses for which the invention is adapted, such for example as cleaning between the edges of the finger nail and the adjacent cuticle and cleaning under the eyelids.

I claim:

1. A self-cushioned dental cleaner, consisting of a strip of flexible paper having a peripheral ribbon form tongue of the same breadth throughout its length, said tongue having a soft self-cushioned peripheral edge beveled upon one side thereof resulting from tearing said strip from and along a weakened tear line of a sheet of said paper, said tongue being movable between adjacent teeth with its soft edge pressed against the gums, said soft edge having a brushing action during said movement, said tongue being yieldable backwardly thereof under said pressure transmitted thereto through its soft edge, said soft edge being adapted to bear only a light pressure load.

2. A self-cushioned dental cleaner as defined in claim 1, in which said strip is a body strip and is provided with means for stiffening said tongue against undue yielding under said pressure consisting of a superposed strip of stiffening material of the same pattern as and of less area than that of said body strip, the peripheral edge of said superposed strip being parallel to and defining said tongue, said superposed strip being entirely in flat contact with and adhesively secured to said body strip.

3. A self-cushioned dental cleaner, consisting of a quadralateral strip of flexible paper having four peripheral ribbon form tongues, each of said tongues being of the same breadth throughout its length and having a soft self-cushioned peripheral edge beveled upon one side thereof resulting from tearing said strip from and along a weakened tear line of a sheet of said paper, the soft edges of said tongues intersecting in points, each of said tongues being movable between adjacent teeth with its soft edge pressed against the gums, said soft edge having a brushing action during said movement, each of said. tongues being yieldable backward-1y thereof under said pressure transmitted thereto through its soft edge, eaclr soft edge being capable of bearing only a light pressure load.

4. A self-cushioned dental cleaner as defined in claim- 3, in which said strip is a body strip and is provided with means for stiffening said tongues against undue yielding: backwardly thereof under said pressure consisting of a superposed quadralateral strip of stiffening material of less area than that of said body strip, said superposed strip having its edges parallel to and defining said tongues,.

said superposed strip being entirely in flat contact with and adhesively secured to said body strip.

5. A self-cushioned dental cleaner, consisting of an elliptical strip of flexible paper having a peripheral ribbon forrn tongue of thesame breadth throughout its length, said tongue having a soft self-cushioned peripheral edge beveled upon one side thereof resulting from tearing said strip from and along a weakened tear line of a sheet of said paper, said tongue being movable between adjacent teeth with its soft edge pressed against the gums, said soft edge having a brushing action during said movement, said tongue being yieldable backwardly thereof under said pressure transmitted thereto through its soft edge, said soft edge being adapted to bear only a light pressure load.

6. A self-cushioned dental cleaner as defined in claim 5, in which said strip is a body strip and is provided with.

means for stifiening said tongue against undue yielding backwardly thereof under said pressure consisting of a superposed elliptical strip of stiffening material of less area than that of said body strip, the peripheral edge of said superposed strip being parallel to and defining said tongue, said superposed strip being entirely in flat contact with and adhesively secured to said body strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS l,581,501 Wright Apr. 20, 1926 1,927,455 John Sept. 19, 1933 2,035,425 Doll Mar. 24, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 589,016 Great Britain June 9, 1947 

